Plug and tapered candle



Jan. 16, 1968 K. G. RUTESIC 3,363,436

PLUG AND TAPERED CANDLE Filed Feb. 24, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 16, 1968 K. G. RUTESlC 3,363,436

PLUG AND TAPERED CANDLE File d Feb, 24, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent cc PLUG AND TAPERED CANDLE Krsto George Rutesic, 3 Leicester St.,

London, W.C. 2, England Filed Feb. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 529,875 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Sept. 17, 1965, 39,875/65 Claims. (Cl. 67-55) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A solid plug adapted to connect an artificial candle to a candle holder comprising first and second end portions, the first end portion having a central cylindrical part and a plurality of angularly spaced apart strips, each of which has an inner edge that is connected to the central part and is non-radially disposed, the strips having outer edges which lie on a common circle and are resiliently deformable to permit them to be introduced into and resiliently retained within a recess whose radius is less than that of the common circle, and at least one resiliently deformable barb 0n the second end portion which may be readily introduced into a bore of an artificial candle having a radius somewhat smaller than the maximum radius of the barb, whereby when the second end portion is inserted into the bore the barb engages the wall of the bore so as to strongly resist withdrawal of said second portion therefrom.

An artificial candle comprising an elongated cylindrical body having an external appearance resembling a wax candle with a cylindrical bore therein, a reservoir for liquid fuel in said cylindrical body, a solid plug having first and second end portions, the second end portion being mounted in and at the lower end of said cylindrical bore and forming the bottom wall of the reservoir, the first end portion having a central cylindrical part, a plurality of angular spaced apart strips, each of which have an inner edge which is connected to the central part and is nonradially disposed, the strips having outer edges which lie on a common circle and are resiliently deformable to permit them to be introduced into and resiliently retained within a recess in a candle hold-er having a radius which is less than that of said common circle, at least one resiliently deformable barb on the second end portion which is received within said cylindrical bore, said barb having a radius greater than that of the central bore and engaging the wall of the said cylindrical bore so as to strongly resist withdrawal of said second end portion therefrom.

This invention concerns a plug and, although it is not so restricted, it is more particularly concerned with a plug which is adapted to connect an artificial candle to a candle holder or other support.

According to the present invention, there is provided a plug having a central cylindrical part and a plurality of angularly spaced apart strips each of which has an inner edge which is integral with or secured to the central part and is non-radially disposed, the strips having outer edges which lie on a common circle, and the strips being resiliently deformable to permit them to be introduced into and resiliently retained within a bore whose radius is less than that of the said common circle.

Preferably the strips are substantially tangential to the said central part.

The strips are preferably cut away at an end of the plug to assist the introduction of the said end of the plug into the bore.

The outer edge of each strip is preferably bevelled to increase the area over which the respective strip will engage the said bore.

The said central part and the said strip may constitute 3,353,436 Patented Jan. 16, 1968 one end portion only of the plug, the other end portion of the plug being provided with at least one resiliently deformable barb which may be readily introduced into a bore whose radius is somewhat smaller than the maximum radius of the barb 0r barbs, whereby the barb or barbs thereafter engage the wall of the bore so as strongly to resist withdrawal of the said other end portion therefrom.

The plug may be moulded from a synthetic resin material.

The invention also comprises an artificial candle comprising an elongated cylindrical body which has an external appearance resembling a wax candle and from whose lower end there extend the said central part and strips of the plug as set forth above.

The cylindrical body preferably contains a reservoir for a liquid fuel.

The artificial candle preferably comprises a metal wick support device which is adapted to support a wick for the candle and a portion of which is disposed within the cylindrical body, the wick support device having at one end thereof a projecting portion extending beyond the upper end of the cylindrical body, the other end of the wick sup port device being disposed within said reservoir, and the said projecting portion of the wick support device having at least one aperture in a wall thereof, through which combustion air may be drawn.

Preferably, the portion of the wick support device which is disposed within the cylindrical body is constituted by a tube which extends to a position adjacent the lower end of the reservoir.

The said projecting portion of the wick support device may be provided with means for draining away surplus fuel running over the exterior of the projecting portion.

Thus the said wall of the projecting portion may be provided with an external groove which is disposed below the said aperture or apertures, the external groove communicating with at least one hole through the said wall so that fuel may pass from the external groove to the wick.

The said projecting portion may be in threaded engagement with the cylindrical body (or with means connected thereto), so that the projecting portion may be readily removed from the cylindrical body to permit the introduction of fuel into the reservoir.

The invention is illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, mainly in section, of an artificial candle incorporating a plug according to the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevation of a part of the candle of FIGURE 1 on a larger scale,

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of the plug shown in FIG- URE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the said plug.

Referring to the drawings, an artificial candle comprises an elongated cylindrical body 10 the external appearance of which resembles that of a wax candle. Thus the cylindrical body 10 may be made of a good heat-conducting material such, for example, as copper or brass and may be stove enamelled externally white or red.

Mounted securely in the upper end of the cylindrical body 10 is a synthetic resin annular insert 11 which is internally threaded to receive a threaded portion 12 of a burner 13. The burner 13, which thus projects beyond the upper end of the cylindrical body 10, has an external wall 14 which, when the burner 13 is fully threaded into the insert 11, merges smoothly into the external wall of the cylindrical body 10.

At the top of the threaded portion 12, the burner 13 is provided with a groove 15 in which is trapped an O ring 16 to seal the burner 13 to the cylindrical body 10.

The burner 13 is made of copper, brass, or other good heat-conducting material and is stove enamelled externally to resemble a candle.

The burner 13 has an internal bore in which is received the upper end of a wick support tube 21. The wick support tube 21 may be brazed into or may be a push fit in the internal bore 20. The burner 13 is also provided with an internal bore 22 which communicates with the internal bore 20, the diameter of the internal bore 22 being the same as the internal diameter of the wick support tube 21. The burner 13 and the wick support tube 21 accordingly are adapted to act as a Wick support device for supporting a wick 23 which may, for example, be made of glass fibres and which may be so disposed that its upper end extends somewhat beyond the upper end of the burner 13.

The wick support tube 21, which may be made of copper or brass or other good heat-conducting material, is disposed within and extends to a position adjacent the lower end of the cylindrical body 10. The interior of the cylindrical body 10 constitutes a reservoir 24 for a liquid fuel, the open lower end of the cylindrical body 10 being closed in a fluid-tight manner by a plug 25 whose construction is described in detail below.

The wick support tube 21 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 26 which permits access to the wick 23 when the burner 13 is removed from the cylindrical body 10, whereby the fitting of a new wick is simplified. I

The external wall 14 of the burner 13 has, at its top, a wall portion 30 of reduced diameter which is joined to the remaining portion of the burner 13 at a shoulder 31. The wall portion 30 is provided with a plurality (e.g. four) of angularly spaced apart apertures 32 through which combustion air may be drawn.

The shoulder 31 is provided with an external groove 33 which is thus disposed below the apertures 32 so as to receive any fuel spilling therefrom and running over the exterior of the wall portion 30. The groove 33 communicates with a plurality (e.g. four) of angularly spaced apart holes 34 which extend through the wall of the burner 13. Accordingly, surplus fuel running over the exterior of the wall portion 30 may pass to the wick 23.

Mounted at the top of the burner 13 is a synthetic resin snuifer cap 35 which seals the upper end of the burner 13 against the leakage of fuel when the candle is not in use. The snufier cap 35, which has a recess 36 therein which provides ample space for the wick 23, is threaded onto the burner so as to make the latter leakproof even if the candle is knocked over.

In the operation of the artificial candle as so far described, the burner 13 is unscrewed from the cylindrical body and fuel is introduced into the reservoir 24. The burner 13 is then screwed back onto the cylindrical body 10, the snuffer cap 35 is removed, and the upper part of the wick 23 ignited. The air for combustion is supplied through the apertures 32, so that combustion occurs within the wall portion 30. As a result of the cooling of the flame produced by the wall portion 30, the flame assumes a yellow colour, closely resembling the flame of a real wax candle.

Fuel for combustion is drawn up through the wick 23, and as it approaches the hot burner 13, it is pre-heated before being burnt in the flame. This pro-heating of the fuel substantially reduces the amount of smoke produced by the flame and helps to make the latter odourless.

Turning now to the plug 25, the latter has an upper portion 40 and a lower portion 41 which are interconnected by a reduced diameter portion 42. A brass or other ring 43 is mounted about the portion 42 and extends radially outwardly of the portions 40, 41 between which it is trapped, the ring 43 engaging the lower end face of the cylindrical body 10. The plug 25 is moulded about the ring 43 from a synthetic resin material such, for example, as polypropylene.

The lower portion 41 has a cylindrical central part 44 and a plurality of angularly spaced apart strips 45. Each of the strips 45 has an inner edge 46 which is integral with the central part 44 and which is substantially tangentially disposed with respect thereto. The strips 45 have outer edges 50 which lie on a common circle.

The strips 45 are resiliently deformable to permit them to be introduced into and resiliently retained within a bore 51 in a heavy metal base 52, the bore 51 having a radius less than that of the said common circle.

Each of the strips 45 is cut away at 53 adjacent the lower end of the plug 25 to assist the introduction of the lower end of the plug into the bore 51.

The outer edge 50 of each strip 45 is bevelled at 54 to increase the area over which the respective strip 45 will engage the bore 51.

As will be appreciated, therefore, the lower portion 41 may be readily introduced into a number of bores of somewhat varying sizes so as to be securely retained therein and yet to be readily withdrawable therefrom when so desired.

The upper portion 40 of the plug 25 is provided with a number of similar resiliently deformable barbs 55 whose maximum radius is somewhat larger than that of the internal surface of the cylindrical body 10. This enables the upper portion 40 to be readily introduced into the lower end of the cylindrical body 10, but makes it virtually impossible thereafter to withdraw the plug 25 from the cylindrical body 10.

I claim:

1. A solid plug which is free of any recess, extending along the axis thereof and which has first and second end portions, the first end portion having a central cylindrical part and a plurality of angularly spaced apart strips, each of which has an inner edge which is connected to the central part and is non-radially disposed, the strips having outer edges which lie on a common circle and are resiliently deformable to permit them to be introduced into and resiliently retained within a recess whose radius is less than that of the said common circle, and at least one resiliently deformable barb on the second end portion which may be readily introduced into a bore whose radius is somewhat smaller than the maximum radius of the barb, whereby the barb thereafter engages the wall of the bore so as strongly to resist withdrawal of the said second portion therefrom.

2. A plug as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the strips is substantially tangential to the said central part.

3. A plug as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the strips is cut away at an end of the plug to assist the introguction of the said first end portion of the plug into the ore.

4. A plug as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer edge of each strip is bevelled to increase the area over which the respective strip will engage the said bore.

5. An artificial candle comprising an elongated cylindrical body which has an external appearance resembling a wax candle and has a cylindrical bore therein, a reservoir for a liquid fuel in said cylindrical body, a solid plug which is free of any recess extending along the axis thereof and which has first and second end portions, the second end portion being mounted in and at the lower end of the said cylindrical bore and formnig the bottom wall of the reservoir, the first end portion having a central cylindrical part and a plurality of angularly spaced apart strips each of which has an inner edge which is connected to the central part and is non-radially disposed, the strips having outer edges which lie on a common circle and are resiliently deformable to permit them to be introduced into and resiliently retained within a recess in a candle holder whose radius is less than that of the said common circle, and at least one resiliently dew formable bar-b on the second end portion which is received within the said cylindrical bore and whose maximum radius is greater than that of the cylindrical bore, the at least one barb engaging the wall of the said cylindrical bore so as strongly to resist withdrawal of the said second end portion therefrom.

6. An artificial candle as claimed in claim 5 comprising a metal wick support device which is adapted to support a wick for the candle and a portion of which is disposed within the cylindrical body, the wick support device having at one end thereof a projecting portion extending beyond the upper end of the cylindrical body, the other end of the wick support device being disposed within said reservoir, and the said projecting portion of the Wick support device having at least one aperture in a wall thereof, through which combustion air may be drawn.

7. An artificial candle as claimed in claim 6 in which the portion of the wick support device which is disposed within the cylindrical body is constituted by a tube which extends to a position adjacent the lower end of the reservon'.

8. An artificial candle as claimed in. claim 6 in which the said projecting portion of the wick support device is provided with means for draining away surplus fuel running over the exterior of the projecting portion.

9. An artificial candle as claimed in claim 8 in which the said wall of the projecting portion is provided with an external groove which is disposed below the said aperture or apertures, the external groove communicating with at least one hole through the said wall so that fuel may pass from the external groove to the wick. 10. An artificial candle as claimed in claim 6 in which the said projecting portion is in threaded engagement with the cylindrical body so that the projecting portion may be readily removed from the cylindrical body to permit the introduction of fuel into the reservoir.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,889,951 6/ 1959 Hennings 21547 3,174,311 3/1965 Arbetman 67-55 3,269,581 8/1966 Calder 21547 X FOREIGN PATENTS 937,318 8/ 1948 France. 967,615 8/1964 Great Britain.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. 

